In 2025, Christophe Laporte will have a little revenge to take. In the spring of 2024, the Visma-Lease a Bike rider suffered a series of illnesses, injuries, falls, and operations. As a result, the Classics period that he loves so much was cut short, far too short for such a runner who likes to express himself in this type of eventful races where you need to have strong thighs. Fortunately, with few days of racing under his belt, he finished his year well with a bronze medal at the Olympic Games then a victory at Paris-Tours. But the former winner of A Travers la Flandre and Ghent-Wevelgem in 2023 now hopes to return to his playing field in 2025, in a still formidable collective. Christophe Laporte spoke to DirectVelo.
DirectVelo: How are you doing after a season of ups and downs?
Christophe Laporte: There was still great satisfaction even if I wasn't able to do the Classics last season, these are races that are close to my heart. So far so good, my preparation has gone well so far. I have the Classics in my head. I had a little back pain but nothing too serious, maybe age is showing.
Because of the missed Classics, was it a bad season for you?
I still have an Olympic medal in 2024 and victory at Paris-Tours. We cannot say that it was a dark season because it would have been empty otherwise. The team has had seasons with more luck and success. In 2024, we had a little less. The previous two years were fantastic. Sometimes everything goes well, sometimes not so much. You have to deal with it. Every year, we start from scratch. I don't think about last year, I just think about this year and what I can do to make it the best it can be. We do our best. There were a lot of downfalls in the team last year, we are trying to understand and improve things.
“THE STATUS REMAINS THE SAME”
Did your Olympic medal change anything?
With the Olympic medal, things have not necessarily changed at the cycling level but rather at the regional level with the Olympic committees. We are invited by the regional president or someone else. I stay distant with all this stuff. Already, we have little time for ourselves even though I like to spend the time I have left – off the bike – at home. We have a few small obligations that must be taken into account.
Have you changed your status within the Visma-Lease a Bike collective?
Publicly, my status may have changed a little. But within the team, it has always been the same. Since I arrived, the leader has always been Wout (van Aert). But these are very open races. I am one of the runners who have a “free role” while supporting Wout. The fact that we are racing benefits him and vice versa. The team has more confidence in me that's for sure, but the status remains the same.
You have a new compatriot on the team, in the person of Axel Zingle…
I let him do it a little, he is mature enough to make his own way. It's better like this. When I arrived, I didn't have a chaperone over me. Of course, I'm there if he needs me and he knows it. We come from the same country, we experienced the same start of our career at Cofidis. It's a big change. He's integrating very well, it's a lot of information at once for him but I think he'll be able to manage it and understand how the team works. I'm not worried about him.
“THE LEADER IS WOUT (VAN AERT)”
-How is your preparation going?
My prep was pretty much similar to the previous ones. Personally, I do a little more work on my body in general so as not to have problems with my back or anything else. I'm 32 now, I need to take a little more care of myself. Before cycling, I spend more time doing strengthening or stretching exercises to try to reduce injuries or pain.
What will your program be?
Firstly, the Classics are in our sights: Omloop Nieuwsblad, Kuurne, Strade Bianche, Mila-San Remo, the Belgian Classics and Paris-Roubaix.
How will your collaboration with Wout van Aert work out?
We do almost the same races. His objectives are of course the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix. These are races where I will also be there. The leader is Wout. On the pedals, he is the strongest in the team to win one of these races. As we know, the Classics are also tactical, it is not always the strongest who wins. He will also certainly need runners like me to anticipate and put his opponents in difficulty, making them work harder than him. The goal is more that it serves him for these big races. We will try to use numbers as always to be able to play several cards and not have all the pressure on one runner, in order to be stronger than the others on how to run.
“A VICTORY AT PARIS-ROUBAIX WOULD BE THE ACHIEVEMENT OF MY CAREER”
What are you running after, finally?
I would like to get as close as possible to a Monument. I know I can win a Classic, I've done it before. But a Monument is still a step above. On the pedal, I know it's difficult to compete with riders like (Mathieu) Van der Poel and (Tadej) Pogacar. But it's not always the strongest who wins, that's also what makes cycling beautiful. The way I run can lead me, if everything goes well and on a good day, to have the opportunity to play for victory in one of these races. This is the goal of my end of career. I won a stage on the Tour, at Paris-Nice, at the Dauphiné, I won two Classics… What could be even better would be to get closer to victory on a Monument, or even a podium. A victory at Paris-Roubaix would be the culmination of my career. I would have achieved more than I dreamed.
Would you see yourself finishing your career in this team or possibly returning to France at the end of the contract which ends in 2026?
I feel good here, it’s a team that understands me. They know how I work, they adapt. Performance-wise, I can't complain. It is the team that thinks the most performance in the peloton, but which is also very human. I feel good with this group of runners, I have no reason to leave. My goal is to have the best two years possible. I'm closer to the end than the beginning. I know that I have four or five important years left but I am entering my best years. Every year, I manage to progress. You must provide my track record and I will choose at the appropriate time what suits me best.
